CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The Charlotte Bobcats provided one of the more shocking moments of the NBA Draft when they chose to take Cody Zeller with the No. 4 pick, as Nerlens Noel and Alex Len, both projected to be possible No. 1 picks, sat in the green room, waiting to be selected.

Fans in Charlotte booed the pick, television analysts looked visibly stunned and the Twitter world showed similar surprise. It seemed everyone was taken aback by the choice of Zeller—everyone but the Bobcats, who said this was the plan.

"Cody has stood out for quite some time," Bobcats president Rod Higgins said. "After his freshman year, he was on most of the draft boards. So, he was a good guy who we definitely wanted to dig into his background, dig into his game, find out how competitive he is."

Indiana Hoosiers coach Tom Crean said Bobcats general manager Rich Cho spent more time in Bloomington, Ind., than any other NBA executive, a topic to which Cho responded, "There are some nice little restaurants there."

"Cody was a target all year," Cho said. "I was at the IU-Carolina game in Bloomington, and we all know how that turned out (Zeller scored a team-high 20 points in an 83-59 win). We targeted him all year, and we're just thrilled to have him. Just his on court stuff, his off court. He's a guy we want to build around."

And, contrary to what many believed on draft night, Cho said Zeller was the best big man available, a statement that explains their choice to pass on Noel and Len.

"Best big athlete I've seen in many, many years," Cho said. "He can really run the floor, he can shoot the ball, he's a great passer, he plays good defense, and we're thrilled to have him."

Zeller was aware of the extra attention, and said he was relieved to be chosen to play for the Bobcats and live in Charlotte. After working out for 10 teams, Zeller said he quickly realized that NBA franchises do their homework, something he said worked in his favor.

"Luckily for me I didn't have anything to hide," Zeller said. "The more research they did, the better for me."

While the marriage of the Bobcats and Zeller seemed inevitable from the inside, there was still that element of shock from the periphery, and Zeller might need thick skin in the early goings of his rookie season. Crean called Zeller one of the most mentally tough players he's ever coached, and Zeller agreed that was an attribute he possesses.

"That's definitely one of my strengths," Zeller said. "Nothing really phases me, whether it's the fans, the coaches, the opponent. Whether things are going well or going bad I'm going to be level-headed through it all."